Birds and Biodiversity in Germany - Bundesamt für Naturschutz

Farmland birds
The population of meadow pipit
halved within the last 15 years.
Photo: H. Glader
As in other European countries, a particular sharp decline of
bird populations in agricultural landscapes was observed in
Germany between 1960 and 1990. West and East Germany experienced
a dramatic intensification of agricultural production
through mechanisation, pesticide and fertiliser application, as
well as measures to improve the land, e.g. through dewatering,
drainage, installation of flood defences, as well as consolidation
of farmland and reclamation of waste land. Intensification of
use and productivity, and loss of species diversity on agricultural
land were disproportionately greater in West Germany than in
East Germany. The causes for these declines are now well understood:
particular problems are rapid and dense growth of crops,
lack of food, habitat destruction, lack of crop diversity, drainage
of wet grassland and high levels of predation by mammals.
Current trends
Populations of birds breeding on
arable land developed differently
following German reunification:
declines continued in the
west, while a recovery of many
species (e.g. yellowhammer and
corn bunting) was observed in
the east after reorganisation of
agriculture and an increase of
set-aside areas to 15-20 % of the
arable land. However, here too
the data mainly show declines
since the late 1990s.
The population trends of
northern lapwing, Eurasian
skylark, whinchat and meadow
pipit represent many ground-
The farmland bird indicator contains following species:
Black-tailed godwit Northern lapwing Wood lark
Corn bunting Red-backed shrike Yellowhammer
Eurasian skylark Red kite
Little owl Whinchat
nesting birds, which were also
affected by continuing declines
over the last 15 years. Even
more threatened are species of
marshland areas: dunlin and ruff
have become almost extinct in
Germany; the breeding population
of black-tailed godwit has
shrunk to less than half its former
level, and the Eurasian curlew
population is in sharp decline.
When considering birds breeding
in arable landscapes, no
clear winners can be found: only
western yellow wagtail is able
to use intensively cultivated field
areas as breeding habitat.
Due to current farming conditions,
many species are no longer
able to breed, or to rear their
young successfully. Drainage
measures cause reductions in
food supply and encourage the
spread of predatory mammals,
for which nests or not-fully
fledged young are easy prey.
Climate change and over-fertilisation
add to the wider negative
trend in breeding conditions:
cultivated plants grow earlier,
faster and more densely than a
few decades ago. This is a problem
for ground-nesting birds.
Bird species nesting in
hedges and shrubs show less
distinct population trends:
while common nightingale and
common whitethroat now show
positive trends following population
collapse in the 1970s, the
numbers of willow warbler and
common linnet have declined
continuously.
In western and southern Germany almost
a rarity: a singing Eurasian skylark.
Photo: M. Schäf
Example Eurasian skylark: The already high densities of this typical farmland
bird in East Germany increased even more following German Reunification,
while in West Germany – after a short population recovery – declines clearly
continued. Since 1999, this species has decreased at the same rate in both
parts of Germany.
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